THEY are so consumed with the fine print over on Sixth Avenue that the NHL misses the larger picture. Gary Bettman and his lieutenants are so fearful of cream rising to top in their homogenized world, they are willing to curdle the relationship between the league and one of the great players of this generation.
You would have thought the NHL would have been delighted to welcome back Scott Niedermayer, a champion at every level of the game and a wonderful ambassador for the sport, upon his Dec. 15 return to the lineup following the early-season sabbatical he was granted by the Ducks.
Of course, you would have been wrong.
Slap Shots has learned that instead, the league has sought to punish Niedermayer by fining him approximately $500,000 of his $6.75M salary for missing training camp, unilaterally invoking Article 15.3 (f) of the CBA that reads, “For each day a Player does not report to Training Camp without his Club’s permission, his pay will be reduced by 1/275th of his annual . . . salary . . . ”
The league has instituted the fine, we’re told, over the strong protests of Anaheim GM Brian Burke, who did give permission to the 34-year-old reigning Conn Smythe winner to miss camp and the early portion of the season while he contemplated retirement. When Niedermayer announced his return on Dec. 5, Burke said, “He earned the right to take time in making a decision, one that was clearly difficult for him.”
In fact, sources have told Slap Shots that Burke is working behind the scenes with Niedermayer – and by extension, the NHLPA – to get the fine reversed even as the Ducks attempt to fight their way back in their first-round title defense against Dallas.
It is unclear whether the PA has filed an official grievance on the issue, but we’re told that there have been numerous exchanges between the league and Players’ Association on the matter. In fact, several sources have told The Post a resolution is expected within the next two weeks.
Burke said Niedermayer had earned the time. Nonsense, said Bettman; Niedermayer had done a crime and had earned a $500,000 fine.
Bettman and the fine-print people are concerned that this case might set a precedent. They are concerned that all those 34-year-old players who have won the Cup four times in addition to the Conn Smythe, the Norris Trophy, an Olympic Gold Medal, a World Championship tournament, a World Junior championship tournament, a Memorial Cup title and a World Cup; the commissioner is concerned that all of those players will skip training camp and the first few months of the season while their teams get the benefit of saving cap space.
That’s nonsense. The Ducks did not benefit from Niedermayer’s absence, going 15-15-4 while he debated his future with himself. It could be argued that No. 27’s sabbatical cost Anaheim first place in the division to San Jose. Further, Niedermayer’s absence did not give Burke maneuverability within the cap. Rather it hamstrung his ability to make moves, necessary as it was for the GM to keep space clear for the defenseman’s return.
The NHL claims to be a letter-of-the-law operation. Yet, even with clear evidence that Niedermayer had been given permission to miss camp, the NHL decided to ignore that. The league has even decided to ignore Burke on this one.
More to the point, the league as usual, doesn’t get it. Rather than hailing Niedermayer’s return, they are attempting to punish him for it.
Welcome back, partner.
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You know the tinted visor that has become part of Alex Ovechkin‘s trademark look? The NHL wants to outlaw it.
You know the jersey tuck made famous by Wayne Gretzky, and now adopted by players including Jaromir Jagr? The NHL wants to outlaw that, too.
Indeed, the NHL wants to institute a uniform code much like the NFL’s costume police enforce. We’re told the push – which also would prohibit players from wearing long strings on their pants; any color tape on their socks other than the predominant team color, any color skate laces other than white or the predominant team color; and from zipping or cutting open the inner part of their pants – is actually part of a larger agenda to grant Reebok exclusivity on apparel within the locker room from 90 minutes before a game until 90 minutes after one.
The grunge look favored by Ovechkin? Gone. Individualism? Gone.
It’s the one-size-fits-all operation.
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The NHL officially has rejected the NHLPA’s proposal to increase the schedule to 84 games next season, we’re told, thus turning its back on an additional projected $40M in revenue the extra two games per club would generate.
The league wanted the PA to make a long-term commitment to adopting an 84-game schedule under which 10 of 15 teams would visit intra-conference opponents. The PA, which favors a schedule featuring appearances by every team at every rink at least once a year, was willing to commit to the NHL schedule on a one-year trial.
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Finally, Bettman interviews VP of Officiating Stephen Walkom on the commissioner’s XM radio show. Next up, George W. Bush interviews VP Richard Cheney.